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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24740824">Princess Emma</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoreenMaria/pseuds/NoreenMaria'>NoreenMaria</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Once Upon a Time (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Princess Emma, Slow Burn, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swen - Freeform, i hope this story makes you smile, never lose hope</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:00:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,684</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24740824</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoreenMaria/pseuds/NoreenMaria</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A young princess finds herself in an unknown land called Maine.  She has no memory of how she arrived, but all she knows is a stubborn brunette with one hell of a swing is the only person that can help her find out how she got there- and more importantly, how to get back home.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey there!  This is the first SQ fanfic that I have ever written! It's almost completely AU- though some characters are exactly the same, as you'll see in a few chapters.  Enjoy!  Feedback is always appreciated :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A deep growl rang through the pitch black room. She stirred in her slumber, reaching for her eyes and rubbing them lightly. The growl came again, this time slightly louder. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked around her room. Nothing. Pitch black. The growl came again, but this time a low bark followed.</p><p>"Lola," the young woman whispered. "Shhhh,"</p><p>However, the growling did not stop. She rested her tired hand on the dog's head, trying to soothe away its worries. Then she heard it- the snap of a tree branch, followed by a faint <em>thud</em>. Her ears perked up at the realization that her dog might not have been growling for nothing.</p><p>"What the hell," she muttered under her breath, her voice still slightly hoarse from slumber.</p><p>Upon wiping the sleep from her eyes once more, she rolled her lanky olive toned legs over the bed and slowly crept her way to her bedroom door. Along the way she grabbed a wooden baseball bag that stood along her wall and held it tightly in her grip. Although she was shaking quite a bit, her confidence did not falter once as she tiptoed her way through the squeaky house. Each step she took she held her breath. A faint draft from her kitchen laced her skin, making all of her hairs stand on edge as it went up her entire body to the back of her neck. As she rounded the corner to the next room, she spotted another window allowing a draft into her den. <em>I need to stop sleeping with all these damn windows open</em>, she mentally noted.</p><p>The gentle <em>swoosh</em> of her curtains caught her eye, as she slowly approached the window. Each step made her grind her teeth as the old wooden floors creaked under her weight. Her hands were drawn above her head tightly holding the bat while she ever so slightly peeked her head through the window.</p><p>The view of her backyard under the midnight moon was a sight she was fairly familiar with. Plenty of nights were spent sipping cold beers under the stars with her friends and loved ones. Lovely memories that made the woman smile just the slightest bit as she gazed upon the landscape. The gentle breeze caught her attention once more, snapping her out of her momentary reviere, as she finally raked her eyes to the small apple tree that was at the back of the yard.</p><p>The forest behind her house were more vast than a mile. Her property was nothing to be spooked by. She lived her entire life trotting through the woods at night, never once being frightened by the howling of wolves or the scurrying of rabbits. This night was different, though. This night she could not shake the chill of her neck hairs standing on end. Her intuition knew something was not quite right.</p><p>The bat was lowered as she slowly opened the back door to her estate, but only for a second so her hand could push the door handle. She took a deep breath as the her feet were met with the familiar feeling of the cold grass beneath her toes.</p><p>Her eyes scanned the freshly cut grass, and landed right on something that made her breath catch in her throat and her entire body lock into place.</p><p>There, right under her beloved apple tree, was a creamy white cloak on the ground with a mess of blonde tresses slipping out of one side, and thick brown leather boots from the other. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was, indeed, a human being. Beige leather pants hugged long legs tightly, and a rich plum wool sweater complimented ivory skin. If she wasn't so frozen in fear she would have taken a moment to appreciate this stranger's beauty. Her body felt like it was frozen in time. Her grip on the wooden weapon tightened as her eyes inspected this person that was sleeping under her apple tree.</p><p>The unknown creature stirred, a small feminine groan escaped its mouth as it reached for its own head, rubbing slightly. Its eyes slowly fluttered open, starting to slowly adjust to the surroundings.</p><p>The woman with the bat slowly regained her wit as she lifted the bat into position, readying to blow this stranger out of the park. A strong voice bellowed through the evening air causing the stranger to jump to life.</p><p>"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The woman growled, much like her dog did inside, as she held up her chin and inspected the woman on her lawn. The stranger gasped at the sudden defense of territory that was being spewed in her direction.</p><p>"Oh," she quickly sat up and scooted her bottom away a few inches. "My sincere apologies. I- I do not know what I am doing here."</p><p>Their eyes met for the first time. The woman slowly pointed her bat at the emerald eyes that were starting back at her.</p><p>"You're on <em>my</em> property and have no idea how <em>you</em> got here?" She scoffed at this stranger's ability to feign innocence.  Maybe she was some cuckoo actress that escaped from the community theatre.</p><p>The woman quickly scrambled to her feet and put her hands in front of her as a form of protection. Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders in curls hanging elegantly from a ponytail, and bounced to life just as she rose to her feet. The thick leather boots were dirty with mud, and the cloak upon her shoulders hung heavily, causing the woman to look small and pathetically hopeless. Her cheeks were tinted pink with embarrassment, as her eyes were noticeably searching all around her looking for something, <em>anything,</em> familiar.</p><p>"I- I swear. One second I was climbing a tree and the next I am..." the woman's frantic green eyes looked up once more to meet the honey chocolate ones before her. "Here..."</p><p>The bat was slowly lowered.</p><p>"What is your name?" The woman asked, letting her guard falter slightly, but still keeping a strict gaze upon the stranger.</p><p>"I... I am..." she took a deep breath in and shakily released it into the midnight air. "Princess Emma."</p><p>And that was the last thing the princess remembered before she was knocked upside the head with a wooden bat.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Posture, Posture</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I NEED YOUR HELP. So far I have about 7 chapters of this story written. I am not feeling the love for it that I once had. I feel like it could be better- literally anything could make it better. I would love your feedback, so please read through the whole thing and give me your honest thoughts and opinions.  Should I continue? Is it as terrible as I think it is? Give it a chance- tell me what you think &lt;3</p><p>All mistakes in this story are mine.  I own none of the characters, but if I did... oh, if I did...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>EARLIER THAT NIGHT - </strong> <em>THE ENCHANTED FOREST</em></p><p>Her legs were moving under her body faster than they have ever moved before. Her hot tears were quickly pouring out of her eyes but she did not even notice. The breaking of tree branches under her boots and her heavy breathing were drowned into oblivion by the sound of the Ogre's yelling. The ground vibrated under her, causing her to lose her balance, landing in a heap on the dirt below. The hands that braced her fall instantly started to sting in pain, but that did not stop the blonde from covering her ears as another roar rang through the night.</p><p>The sound made her head pound and her heart skip a beat in her chest. Her adrenaline reached an all time high as she got back up and continued her escape. As she reached deeper into the forest the moonlight was now the only thing that lit up the familiar path. The bright orange glow from the fires she was fleeing seemed to get lost in the trees. It was dark. So dark. The young princess could not believe she was running away instead of protecting her kingdom or saving her family, but she did not seem to have much of a choice.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p><strong>EARLIER THAT DAY</strong> - <em>THE NORTHERN KINGDOM</em></p><p>"Emma, sweetie," her mother's sweet voice rang through her bedroom.</p><p>Emma groaned, curling up into a tight ball under her heavy duvet.</p><p>"You need to get up now, it's lunch time," the curtains were quickly drawn which caused another groan from the woman under the covers. "You are so lucky we let you sleep in today. The ball is tonight so you better get up and eat a good meal to save your energy."</p><p>If there was one thing Emma was absolutely not looking forward to it was her parent's stupid Winter Ball. Every year for as long as she could remember her parents hosted a yearly ball to try and get Emma a husband. Since she was the only heir to her parent's throne, it was important that she wed before the inevitable day that the throne became hers.</p><p>However, Emma was never interested in a silly throne or wanting to be queen. Emma much preferred running through the forest and swimming in the lake. She loved her horse, Rocinante, and riding every day to the cliff that overlooked her kingdom. Most nights she spent sneaking out of her room, and tipping the guards a couple gold coins to keep their traps shut. The local pubs were her favorite. She would drink and play poker until the wee hours of the morning on the weekends, and then sneak back into her room to sleep until the afternoon. The peasants in the pub never made a comment about the princess. They enjoyed her company just as they would any other villager.</p><p>Emma was known as a sweet and pleasant woman. She never spoke to anyone like she was their superior, and treated everyone in her kingdom with respect and identity. Her parents were known to look down upon the villagers and peasants, but Emma wanted nothing of the sort. Power was not of any importance to her. She would spend hours on end just staring at the kingdom from her balcony, wishing her knight and shining armor would whisk her away into the sunset- far, far away from responsibility and regality.</p><p>The sheets and duvet were abruptly ripped from her warm body as her mother still nagged at her to get up. The bright streams of sunlight tickled her face and made her ivory skin blush with goosebumps.  Her nightgown was scrunched around her ankles, and for once Emma was glad she wore any clothing at all to bed.</p><p>"You have an hour to get up and get down to breakfast before I order a guard to rip you from this bed by your ankles," and with that her mother huffed and exited the princess's room.</p><p>Emma sighed as she finally let her eyes flutter open. For the twenty years she has lived in this kingdom, she never once felt like she belonged. She understood she was royalty, and the product of <em>true love,</em> or whatever, but there was always this nagging feeling in her gut that made her nerves tingle in obscure anticipation. She <em>knew</em> she was more than just a princess. She knew deep, <em>deep</em> down that her future needed to be so much more than a publicity stunt.</p><p>A knock on her door interrupted her reverie. Her eyes glanced over to the mahogany wood as she slowly stood up and approached it.</p><p>"Good morning, your majesty," her handmaiden curtsied politely as Emma opened the door.</p><p>"Morning, Cynthia," Emma smiled sweetly as she backed up and allowed room for the petite old woman to enter. "Do come in."</p><p>"Are you excited for the ball today, miss?" the handmaiden asked while making her way toward the princess's private bathroom to run her morning bath.</p><p>"Am I excited any year?" Emma sighed.</p><p>She knew this ball would be like any other. Hundreds of people would arrive from all their neighboring kingdoms. Princes and knights alike would approach her with a fake smile, kiss her hand, and try to chat her up like she was some prize to be won. Each year they would spend a night dancing, drinking, and inevitably she would get intimate with at least one hunky prince. Without fail, she got no real connection in any of her little rendezvous, and would never "choose" a prince or knight to take her hand in marriage. It truly was not her thing to just pick any man she wanted. She was starting to believe that maybe she was just meant to be alone forever. The princess wondered if love was even real, or if marriage was just a big publicity stunt.</p><p>"Cynthia," she looked over to her maid as she began to undress. The maid looked up with soft hazel eyes to meet Emma's gaze. "Do you think I could ever find a husband at one of these silly balls?"</p><p>Her maid offered her a soft smile. "Of course I do, dear. Love is all around us all the time. You will know it as soon as you lock eyes with your true love that it is meant to be."</p><p>Emma sighed as she slipped into the now warm bath. Cynthia washed the princess gently, and took care of her blonde hair with practiced, soft movements, like she has done Emma's whole life. Twenty years is a long time to tend to one person. Emma and Cynthia shared a special bond, since Cynthia had no children of her own. She has spent her entire life caring for the Charming family, and there was not a day that went by that she did not treat the family with love and kindness.</p><p>"I have a hard time believing that someone could ever love me," Emma looked down at her hands that were neatly folded in her lap. She twiddled her thumbs, trying to blink away the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.</p><p>Cynthia halted her fingers that were massaging conditioner into Emma's scalp.</p><p>"I do not <em>ever</em> want to her those words from you, young lady," Cynthia sternly scolded, but with a gentle and motherly tone. "You are the most amazing young woman I have ever met. Anyone would be lucky to love someone like you. One day I genuinely hope you can believe that."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Later that night, Emma was seated on her throne, in the usual spot in between her mother and father. Normally at any regular royal event, she would be seated to the left side, with her mother and father in two bigger seats. But because this was Emma's Winter Ball, her parents thought it was only appropriate to give Emma a big seat in the middle.</p><p>Emma was quite used to the spotlight, seeing as though she has lived in it for twenty years now. But once a year, the entire night was about her. Her undivided attention was expected and appreciated by her parents, since she always tried everything in her power to stay away from them. Most of the time Emma wished she had an older sibling so that she did not have to worry about getting married so soon.</p><p>Her parents were starting to age quickly which only meant her time for ruling was approaching.</p><p>The princess was wearing a cream dress that hugged her body in all the right places. Since she refused to wear a big, unnecessary ball gown like years prior, her parents allowed her a simple yet elegant lace gown instead. The lace accentuated her toned arms, ever so slightly gliding past her hands in a draping formation. Her legs went on for miles, but were hidden under the dress that went past her feet and trailed behind her. She had to wear heels so that she did not trip over the gown itself. Her posture was picture perfect, years of constant chiding guaranteed that, and her hands were folded in her lap, as they always were. Emma's blonde curls cascaded down her back, and atop her head laid a beautiful flower crown that she weaved from her trip to the forest the night before.</p><p>The first prince introduced himself to the royal family with a curt bow, and lifted his baby blue eyes to greet the green ones staring directly at him.</p><p>"Good evening, my princess," the man smirked. "I am Prince Neal, from the Western Kingdom."</p><p>Emma forced a tight smile as the prince took her hand and kissed it softly, his scruffy beard tickling her knuckles. She kept her eyes trained on his, never once letting them linger on his pale face or dark brown hair.</p><p>"Hello," she returned his greeting, curtsying appropriately. There was something about this man's soft touch that made Emma's breath hitch in her throat. His hands were calloused, much like her own, which led her to believe he did something with his life besides ordering people around for a living- like <em>her</em> parents did. There was something comforting about his demeanor... but she just could not quite put a finger on it.</p><p>"May I have this dance?" Prince Neal politely requested. Emma nodded.</p><p>She allowed the handsome prince to guide her to the center of the ballroom, as Neal nodded over to the orchestra. They immediately began to play a tune a little slower. Emma rested her hand upon his shoulder, and he guided his own hand to her delicate waist. Neal pulled them close enough that he could whisper in the woman's pale ear.</p><p>"You have quite the lovely ball going on here," his breath tickled her ear.</p><p>"I suppose," Emma stated. She chose to ignore the feeling of his stubble against her cheek, for a man with facial hair was certainly not on her list of favorites nor her nonexistent suitor checklist.</p><p>They mindlessly continued their conversation, with Emma being all too used to how these things normally go. She ignored the pain in her feet from her heels because she knew this was only the first of many dances of the night. She knew complaining so early on would get her nowhere. <em>Princesses never complain,</em> her mother's voice briefly rang through her mind- a lecture she had received on countless occasions. Her eyes immediately rolled after that thought, completely forgetting that she was, indeed, still dancing with the prince.</p><p>"My apologies," Neal quickly cleared his throat, getting Emma's attention. "I do not mean to be such a bore."</p><p>Emma sighed. "It's not you," she quickly defended. Her hand squeezed his shoulder for reassurance. "Not really feeling it tonight." She lied, of course she did, but there was no reason that this random prince needed to know how badly she actually hated these stupid balls.</p><p>He smirked, as if he could read her mind, and decided that their dance was ready to come to and end. "No worries," he assured the princess as he gently dipped her down, and then brought her back up so their noses were mere centimeters apart. "Don't want to bore the lovely lady any longer."</p><p>And with that the prince led Emma back to her chair. He politely bowed once more and then made his way to the other side of the room to join his own family. Emma sighed but did not once slouch for a second in her seat. She knew this was going to be a long night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Greener On The Other Side</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Later that evening, Emma was startled from her slumber by the sound of her glass perfume bottles rattling against her dresser. Her brain was foggy with sleep, and she looked outside to see the moon right in the middle of the sky. It was just after midnight.</p><p>The rattling happened again, this time a bottle fell off the wooden surface and collided with a crash onto her floor. The sound of the glass breaking caused a body to shift under her duvet. Emma quickly sat up in bed to observe the human sized lump under the covers next to her. It took her brain a few seconds to remember the events after the ball a few hours earlier.</p><p>
  <em>Prince Neal.</em>
</p><p>Emma audibly swallowed as she realized she needed to wake up the sleeping man so she could sneak him out of the castle.</p><p>However, the prince was easily awoken by another stomp that made her entire room shake this time. The air vibrated as a loud roar rippled through the air.</p><p>"<em>Ogres</em>," they both breathed at the same time.</p><p>Emma and Neal quickly scrambled to their feet. He rushed to get his fancy suit back on white she ran over to her wardrobe and pulled out the first pants and sweater that she saw.</p><p>"You need to leave," she whisper-shouted in his direction. "<em>Now</em>."</p><p>Prince Neal finished zipping up his pants and firmly nodded. He strutted over to the princess and hastily left a sloppy kiss on her cheek. Then he was out the door with an annoying wink of his right eye.</p><p>Emma rolled her eyes. She then shook the thoughts of the prince from her head while she walked over to her balcony. What she saw completely took her breath away, making every cell in her body shudder in absolute fear.</p><p>Standing a mile or so from the edge of the villages in her kingdom were several large ogres, towering over the trees and making the huts look like doll houses. Another load roar bellowed in the night, making the ground shake beneath her feet once again. A few lone bricks fell from the balcony. Emma was frozen in fear.</p><p>"Princess Emma," a loud voice shouted into her bedroom. "We have to warn your parents and arrange a meeting at the round table!"</p><p>Emma could not hear anything except the blood pumping in her ears as she stared at the monsters in the distance. They just stood there, not moving an inch, as if allowing the villagers to run away.  The sight sent a biting chill down her body, causing her whole body to tremble. She thought she heard someone yell her name from behind her, but her eyes were still locked into the sight of hopeless people running throughout the grounds.</p><p>"Princess Emma!" The voice yelled from right behind her this time, effectively breaking her gaze. She noticed the ogres start to make their way toward the castle. "We have to go, <em>NOW</em>!"</p><p>The princess turned her attention to a knight standing behind her on the balcony. She allowed herself to be dragged into her bedroom and toward her door, but quickly snapped her arm away from the guard when she realized he was trying to take her away.</p><p>"What are you doing here?!" She screamed. "Go help the villagers, not me you imbecile!"</p><p>The knight stared at the abnormally panicked princess in shock. He quickly wiped the look from his features and replaced it with a stern poker face. Emma's patience was quickly starting to evaporate. Something not many people have seen before.</p><p>"Yes, your majesty," he stated calmly, with only a hint of quiver in his tone, and quickly made his way out of her bedroom.</p><p>Another stomp shook her bedroom, almost making the princess lose her balance. She grabbed onto her bedpost as her eyes scanned the room, trying to think of a plan to get herself out of there. She could only think of one thing... to <em>run</em>.</p><p>Her body quickly went into autopilot as she hastily grabbed some brown leather boots and her favorite cream colored cloak. She shoved her feet into the shoes as the cloak enveloped her entire frame. Blonde curls were the pulled into a messy ponytail. The princess grabbed a dagger and slipped it into her left boot.</p><p>Emma's eyes glanced over her beloved room, landing on a necklace that was laying on the floor, courtesy of the night's prior events. She reached down to pick it up, letting the chain slip through her delicate fingers.</p><p>Her mother gave her the snowflake amulet as a present for her eighteenth birthday. It glistened under the moonlight that was seeping through Emma's window. It felt slightly heavy in her hand, but a weight that she was quite accustomed to after wearing it for several months already. It was by far the most heartfelt gift her mother ever gave her.</p><p>
  <em>"So that every time you wear it, you remember that you are unique, just like a snowflake. And my love for you will never melt wherever you may be."</em>
</p><p>Her mother's words echoed through her mind as she shoved the necklace into her cloak pocket, choking back tears that threatened to fall. She understood she needed to go as the stomps were growing progressively in decibels and happening more often.</p><p>The princess took one last look at her room before she ran out the door. Everyone in the castle was scurrying around like mice. The panic was palpable in the air, the energy heavy with despair, but no one seemed to notice the determined princess that ran through the halls. The stomp of her boots on the marble floors was no match for the screams and cries coming from the castle's inhabitants.  It was absolute <em>chaos</em>.</p><p>As Emma made her way toward the staircase, she glanced quickly to her parent's room but saw no trace of them in sight. The blonde let a tear slip from her eye, but quickly wiped it away as she continued her flight toward and down the stairs.</p><p>The bottom level of the castle was complete disarray. People were running through the halls that Emma had never even seen before. Knights were anchored at the main entrance of the castle, trying to keep the peace and yelling at people to calm down. Armored guards were promptly grabbing weapons and pouring out of the infantry like ants, and making their way out the doors to the village- toward the ogres.</p><p>Emma knew there was no use. Ogres would devour her kingdom of all life within hours. She knew she needed to run far away.</p><p>The stomping of her boots on the ground were now a little louder as she ran down the cobblestone walkway in her backyard toward the stables. She knew if there was one thing that could get her far away and fast it was her baby girl, Rocinante.</p><p>"Princess Emma," she heard a voice yell from the castle behind her. She did not turn back- she <em>couldn't</em> turn back.</p><p>Hot tears were now feverishly running down the young woman's pink cheeks as she found her way to Rocinante. She quickly threw a saddle onto the horse and kissed her nose sweetly.</p><p>"It's going to be just fine, baby," she cooed in a whisper. Her voice was quivering with discomposure. She nor her horse actually believed the words that fell from her mouth.</p><p>The other horses in the barn were neighing in absolute fear, standing on their hind legs and kicking the air in the night. Emma made her way to each door and let her horses free. They didn't deserve to be devoured by such enormous monsters.</p><p>The princess then made her way onto Rocinante's back and they were off. Emma did not even have to kick her heel into the horse's behind, because Rocinante <em>knew</em>.</p><p>The cries from the castle grew as the stomping of their impending doom became louder, shaking everything in the kingdom to the ground. Emma ignored the explosions and heat radiating off the cobblestone as she and Rocinante galloped toward the Enchanted Forest. She had to get away.</p><p>By the time she reached the forest she knew the castle was gone as she felt the ground rumble under her. Rocinante let out a loud squeal and kicked her front legs into the air. Emma fell back from her horse onto the cold dew of the forest floor. Rocinante galloped away. Far, far away, as Emma lay with her head hung low. A headache started in the back of her head where she knew it had collided with the ground.</p><p>Emma groaned in pain as she looked down at the scuff marks and mud on her boots from her fall but she knew she had to keep going. Something inside her bones was rattled at the thought of an ogre squashing her into pulp, which was all the encouragement she needed to continue her reckless sprint into the woods.</p><p>The footsteps approaching her from behind made her lose her balance, again colliding with the ground and sending searing pain through her knees and up to her chest, causing the woman to release a cry of pain. However, Emma still got up. <em>I was raised to never give up</em>, she thought to herself as her stubborn body started to ache.</p><p>Her legs were moving under her body faster than they have ever moved before. Hot tears were pouring out of her eyes that she did not even notice. The breaking of tree branches under her boots and her heavy breathing were drowned by the sound of the Ogre's yelling. The ground vibrated under her, causing her to lose her balance, landing in a heap on the dirt below. The hands that braced her fall instantly started to sting in pain, but that did not stop the blonde from covering her ears as another roar rang through the night.</p><p>The sound made her head pound and her heart skip a beat in her chest. Her adrenaline reached an all time high as she got back up and continued her escape. As she reached deeper into the forest the moonlight was now the only thing that lit up the familiar path. The bright orange glow from the fires she was fleeing seemed to get lost in the trees. It was dark. So dark. The young princess could not believe she was running away instead of protecting her kingdom or saving her family, but she did not seem to have much of a choice.  She would never be able to save anything if she was <em>dead</em>.</p><p>She never went beyond this point in the forest before. Her feet came to a halt in an area that was completely unfamiliar. Emma felt drawn to a large oak tree standing directly in front of her. She looked up slowly, gawking at the bark that trailed up the monstrous tree that she seen many a time before, but only from a distance.</p><p>Emma spent her entire life roaming these woods, but never once went past this oak tree. She was warned at a young age that the tree contained a magic that no one had yet to understand. <em>Just another stupid tale</em>, she rolled her eyes.  After all, she heard magic was banned from her kingdom for a reason.</p><p>She tilted her head to the side, pouting slightly as she studied the beautiful oak. Her hand slowly reached out to touch it. A warm tingly feeling made her stomach erupt in butterflies as soon as her palm made contact with the bark. <em>Curious</em>, she thought, observing the golden glow that emitted from her fingertips and up the tree. Her head shook at her wild imagination. <em>Trees don't glow</em>.</p><p>Her thoughts were interrupted once again as her hands slammed into her ears to try and block out another ogre's cry into the night. Emma realized she was never going to outrun them, and decided to hide instead.</p><p>Her arms and legs were completely exhausted. Not just from climbing, but because of all the unnecessary dancing from just hours before. She did not let her pain deter her determination though, and her climbing continued until she was all the way hidden in the oak's branches.</p><p>However, the stomping that grew nearer made her lose her footing one final time. A branch snapped under the princess' weight, causing the blonde to topple from the tree. She tried to reach anything she could, but could not grasp a single branch- her fingers only catching on a leaf or two. A giant ogre's face was in her peripheral vision, followed by the thud of her body colliding with... <em>grass</em>? And absolute silence.</p><p>But the princess was already unconscious.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Believe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>PRESENT DAY</strong> - <em>MAINE</em></p><p>"What do you mean she '<em>appeared out of nowhere</em>'?" her sister shouted through the phone into her ear. "Regina, people do not just fall from the sky. This isn't <em>Oz</em>."</p><p>Regina huffed at her sister's voice booming from the cell phone. She carried the blonde inside her cottage just moments before and left the woman in a bed in her spare room. Regina was frightened, to say the least, but she felt this weird feeling in her gut that told her not to call the police. It was a strange feeling the young brunette was still trying to decipher.</p><p>"I am well aware, Zee," Regina sighed. "She told me she is a <em>princess</em>. I cannot just call the police and say, 'hey, a princess appeared out of thin air in my backyard', like, do you want me to end up in an insane asylum?!"</p><p>She could physically hear her sister rolling her eyes through the phone. That famous Mills attitude is quite genetic.</p><p>"All I'm trying to say, Reg, is keep an eye on her. I can't believe you're letting a random stranger into your home, and <em>sleep</em> in your guest room," her sister huffed in annoyance. "This is the real world. Crazy people exist. If you don't call me again within the next forty-eight hours I <em>will</em> call the police."</p><p>"I know, Zelena," Regina looked down at the hem of her pajama shorts, picking at a loose string. "I'll talk to her when she wakes up... I guess. Something just doesn't feel... <em>right</em>."</p><p>There was a pause at the other end of the line. Regina could tell her sister was annoyed, but yet not angry.</p><p>"Okay," Zelena stated after a deep breath was exhaled through her lips. "Tell me all about it. I'll see you this weekend. Love you."</p><p>Regina pulled the phone from her ear and stared at the black screen. Her focus then returned to the mysterious blonde woman asleep in her guest bed. Regina was sitting at the edge of it, observing the moonlight shining into the dark room and accentuating the high points of the blonde's features. Her thin pink lips were firmly shut, light brown freckles were sprinkled across her nose, and long deep breaths were coming from her chest as she peacefully slept. Everything about this blonde seemed elegant, even though her clothes were covered in dirt and her leather boots were scuffed from being heavily worn. Leaves were scattered throughout her blonde curls, and yet, she was <em>captivating</em>.</p><p>Lola cautiously made her way into the room and shuffled her paws over to the blonde. Her moist nose sniffed out the cream cloak. The chocolate lab paused for a moment before she gently licked the blood stains on the blonde's left hand that was hanging off the bed.</p><p>Regina's heart filled with a warm gooey feeling at the sight of her dog being so gentle with this stranger. Lola was known for being overprotective and territorial of Regina, so witnessing her being so tender to a complete stranger was <em>not</em> a normal sight. It brought the woman a sense of comfort- that her gut feeling wasn't completely crazy about the stranger.</p><p>Regina took a deep breath and led Lola from the guest room, closing the door behind her and making her way back to her own bedroom. She trusted Lola enough to know that this <em>Princess Emma</em> would not murder her in her sleep, so she made her way into bed and slowly drifted into a short, peaceful slumber.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A sizzling sound is what woke the blonde up the next morning. However, the sweet scent of pork was no match for the incredible pounding radiating from the back of her skull. Emma groaned loudly as she held the aching skull in her hands, shutting her eyes tightly.</p><p>Regina heard the princess's groan coming from the guest room and instantly felt a ping of guilt in her chest, for it was her strong arm that knocked the woman out with a baseball bat. It certainly wasn't a strong enough blow to cause lethal damage... just possibly a minor concussion. Regina cringed at the thought.  She played varsity softball for four years in high school for a reason.</p><p>She reached for the bottle of aspirin next to her sink, filled a glass full of water, and made her way toward the room that the other woman was slowly starting to awaken in.</p><p>"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Regina outstretched her hand that held the pills toward her guest.</p><p>"Wrong princess," Emma muttered, eyeing the palm that contained two little white pills carefully.</p><p>"It's not poison, it's aspirin," Regina spoke after she noticed the blonde's hesitation, "helps with the pain."</p><p>Emma's curious green eyes flickered up toward Regina's awaiting brown, "How do I know that I can trust you?"</p><p>Regina shrugged, "You don't. But if I wanted to kill you," Regina smirked as the blonde quirked an eyebrow, "I would have already."</p><p>The princess nodded in understanding, graciously accepting the two little pills and the glass. She sipped the water, just enough to coat her dry mouth, and then swallowed the pills thereafter. Regina sat on the edge of the bed, eyeing the stranger that politely sipped her water, and observed that even though she was dreadfully exhausted and visibly shaken, her manners did not falter for one moment. Regina pondered if this mysterious woman was actually a real princess after all.</p><p>"I made some breakfast," Regina broke her trance as she stood from the bed, wiping imaginary dust off her cotton pajama shorts, "you're more than welcome to join me. Maybe we can talk about all... <em>this</em>..." The woman trailed off her sentence, not quite sure how to formulate her thoughts into words.  It was quite the unique set of circumstances, understandably.</p><p>"I would be delighted to," Emma's green eyes were shining in relief. "I truly appreciate your hospitality."</p><p>Regina's heart fluttered at the princess's kind words. She quickly walked over to a dresser next to the bed and opened a drawer, reaching for a tee shirt and some sweatpants for the blonde to change into. As much as Regina ogled over the tight beige pants that wrapped around the princess's form and the plum sweater that hugged all the right places, she understood that soiled clothes were not comfortable for any person, nor appropriate any longer for the stranger's current whereabouts.</p><p>Emma eyed the set of clothes curiously that were being handed to her. She took them into her hands, letting her fingers trace over the grey cotton pants that she had never seen before. She most definitely did not recognize the picture of a red, white, and blue-dressed man with the words <em>Captain America: The First Avenger</em>, written across the white tee shirt accompanying it.</p><p>Regina then walked over to a door on the other side of the small room and opened it, revealing a bathroom. Emma smiled brightly at the thought of washing this stench of dirt, blood, and tears from her skin. Among other things.</p><p>"If you would like to take a shower, help yourself. I will be in the kitchen finishing brunch when you are ready."</p><p>The blonde was left to her own thoughts as she watched the beautiful brunette step out of the room. Emma walked into the bathroom and sneaked a peak at herself in the mirror. Her green eyes were bloodshot and puffy, cheeks pale as bone, and her lips were chapped and bruised. How in the <em>hell</em> were there still leaves scattered in her hair? The princess's hand rose to the back of her head and cringed slightly at the pain of her fingers touching a wound, which she assumed was from her fall out of the oak tree. Thoughts were swimming in her head of how falling out of an oak tree could lead to a place completely unfamiliar, but the priority at the moment was showering instead.</p><p>After several minutes of trying to figure out how to turn a shower <em>on</em>, the gaping in astonishment at the running water from the shower head, the blonde found herself leaning onto the cold tile wall as the scalding hot water washed over her aching body. The water was stained red for a brief moment at her feet, but soon returned to clear, steaming up the room in the process. Emma momentarily thought about sinking to the floor and wailing out in misery, but quickly replaced those thoughts with determination, from somewhere deep in her core- <em>she needed to get home</em>... but where would she even start...</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>About a half hour later Regina was joined in the kitchen by a rather fresh-smelling Emma.</p><p>Regina was sitting at the small island in the center of her kitchen sipping on a piping hot cup of coffee. Her second of the day actually. She was completely unsure of what her guest would be interested in eating, so she made everything under the sun. Fresh eggs, bacon, pancakes, fruit- even a box of Fruit Loops found its way onto the island. Regina would eat the sugary excuse for a cereal when pigs learned to fly, but it landed its way into her kitchen after her friend, Ruby, spent a weekend at her cabin. It was all that lanky brunette was interested in these days.</p><p>"That smells amazing," Emma almost drooled as she fell into the seat beside the older woman.</p><p>Regina smiled warmly, placing her coffee down onto the marble counter, "I'm not sure what you would be interested in, so I kind of made anything I could think of. Whatever you don't eat I can give to my dog, Lola," she nodded in the direction of the chocolate lab that was sleeping soundly in her bed in the corner of the kitchen, by the back door.</p><p>Emma took the time that Regina was explaining each of the foods on the table, even thought she knew what most of them where, to observe the beautiful woman as she spoke. She had the most gorgeous honey-brown eyes that the blonde had ever seen, shoulder length brown hair to match her glorious olive-toned skin, and a small scar right above her full lips. Emma was completely distracted by her beauty, and that insatiable gentle raspy voice, that she didn't even notice the brunette was waiting to hear what she wanted to eat.</p><p>"Oh," Emma breathed bashfully, "my apologies, but I don't believe I even know your name,"</p><p>Regina smiled, slightly embarrassed at her lack of manners and also the abrupt change in conversation, "My name is Regina Mills. Sorry for my impoliteness, I've been rather off since you got here. Hard to wrap my head around all this."</p><p>"Regina means 'queen' in Latin," Emma smiled proudly, causing a crimson blush to grace Regina's cheeks. "What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. I have never met anyone with two names before."</p><p>Regina looked down at her coffee, watching the steam evaporate off the black liquid into the kitchen in silence. Was this stranger hitting on her? That would be silly. Regina shook her head at the thought, <em>a woman would never flirt with me, especially not a random stranger sitting in my kitchen and claiming to be a princess.</em></p><p>Emma sensed the tension change in the room and cleared her throat, breaking the brunette from her reverie.</p><p>"Also, may I ask," Emma felt like getting straight to the point, "where <em>am</em> I?"</p><p>"Well that's a loaded question," Regina chuckled as her eyes lifted up to meet the gorgeous green ones sitting next to her. "This is my cabin, we're in upstate Maine. I've lived here all my life."</p><p>Emma let out a small gasp. It took a second for the words to sink into her brain, but once she did, a little light bulb went off in her head. Her eyes went wide.</p><p>"That- that's impossible-" the blonde had no idea how to wrap her brain around this new information, let alone formulate words properly on the thoughts that instantly consumed her mind. "I have only ever read of such a place in books. Maine as in... <em>Earth</em>?"</p><p>Emma's voice quivered, causing Regina to slowly nod as an answer with her brows furrowed in confusion. She was very interested to see where the blonde was going with this so she kept completely silent.</p><p>"I have only ever heard of such a place briefly in my home-lessons," the princess quickly continued, "It's said to be another world completely. One my people have never experienced, and most do not even believe to be real," Emma was now trembling slightly as the realization dawned upon her.</p><p>"Regina Mills... if what you're saying is true... I'm not even in my <em>realm</em> anymore."</p><p>Regina stood in shock as she <em>tried</em> comprehended the words coming from the woman before her. There was no way, no possible <em>fucking</em> <em>way</em>, that she could believe this odd woman that fell out of a tree in her backyard, out of thin air, was from another realm.</p><p>But, alas, through all of the negative thoughts gnawing at the back of Regina's skull about the impossible, the genuine fear that overtook the blonde's face upon her realization was enough to tug at something deep within the brunette's gut. And if one thing never <em>ever</em> failed Regina Mills, it was her gut.</p><p>And so, <em>she</em> <em>believed</em>.</p><p>Well at least... became open minded.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Daniel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Audio inspo for this chappie: Butterfly's Repose by Zabawa.  </p><p>#allthefeels in this chapter, enjoy!!</p><p>There also may or may not be a Rookie Blue reference in this part... you get a cookie if you can recognize it ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So you're really trying to tell me that your mother is Snow White and your father is Prince Charming," Regina couldn't help but laugh, "like... from the fairytale?!"</p><p>Emma sighed, "not exactly a fairytale..."</p><p>The two women were seated on Regina's living room sofa, facing each other, with their legs tangled together in a heap. They shared a large tub of Rocky Road, though half of it was all over Emma's face, which caused Regina to gaze upon the younger woman in slight amusement. Some random tv show was on in the background, but neither woman was paying it any mind, both way too busy engrossed in each other.</p><p>The princess spoke of growing up in the large castle; from dueling her guards in the courtyard with sticks as words, riding her horse into the sunset, spending countless hours in the library with her nose stuffed in any book she could find- to skinny dipping in the lake with the first boy she ever liked. Emma spoke so highly of running through the Enchanted Forest in her bare feet, and all about the splinters she would have to painfully squeeze from her heels after.</p><p>Regina was speechless. She just couldn't wrap her mind around this mysterious princess. She lived her entire life thinking Snow White was just some silly kid's story- but there she was, her freaking <em>daughter</em>, sitting on her sofa and <em>inhaling</em> her ice cream.</p><p>"It's not all rainbows and unicorns," Emma honestly said with a shrug. She stuck her spoon into the empty tub and let her hands fold back into her lap neatly.</p><p>Regina cocked an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"</p><p>Emma looked down at her hands. "I mean," she took a breath, "I never asked to be born into royalty. It just... happened. I have been told my whole life about how I am special, by being the product of true love, but I have never felt... <em>special</em>. I have never felt a true connection to any of the people that have gawked at me like a rose in a field of hay," her soft features dripped with sadness. "I just wanted to learn how to cook or sew. I have always dreamed of riding a horse into battle, protecting my people. My mother would be caught dead before her <em>precious princess</em> became a knight. I never let the request escape my lips. I did everything my parents asked of me, and never once let them see me romanticising a better life."</p><p>Regina smiled softly. A feeling of empathy settled in her stomach for woman sitting in front of her. Feeling trapped in a world that you do not belong was something they both seemed to have in common.</p><p>"I just want to be happy," tears started to brim in the Emma's eyes, "and now it's all gone."</p><p>Regina was certainly not comfortable with consoling an emotional person in any way, having no idea how to approach the blonde in any such manner. As if on cue, Lola strolled up to the sofa and placed her head on Emma's thigh. Big puppy brown eyes stared up at the princess, as the lab huffed out a small breath from her nose to get her attention. Emma smiled softly, stroking Lola's head. Regina's heart grew two sizes too big in that moment, understanding the princess had a real connection with Lola.</p><p>A thought popped into the brunette's head as she quickly got up and walked out of the room toward her father's office. If there was a room she went into the least in this house, it was this one. She took a deep breath as she stood outside of it, her shaky hand reaching for the door's dusty bronze knob. She held her breath as she pushed it open, hearing the familiar creak of the door that followed.</p><p>Regina made her way to a large bookshelf in the corner of the room. There laid all the stories from her childhood, exactly where they were left, untouched for at least a decade. Among the list was <em>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty</em>, and <em>Peter Pan</em>, to name a few. One book caught her eye in particular, though. This book was far more important to Regina than the others, it was her favorite, <em>Once Upon A Time</em>.</p><p>The heavy leather book felt familiar in her hands, her eyes lingering over the golden cursive title for a moment. She let her finger trail over the dusty cover and along the spine. She breathed in the familiar scent of her father's office and let a single tear slide down her cheek. The energy was too heavy in this room, she could never stay for long.</p><p>Regina walked back into the den and sat back in her spot across from Emma.</p><p>"If there's one book in this entire world that can help you understand, its this one," she gently placed the old book in Emma's lap. "My father read me a fairytale every single night to help me when I couldn't sleep. This one is my favorite. It has all the stories in one book, except... it's different. Like all the characters know each other," she chuckled, "seems silly, but maybe it brings you some comfort."</p><p>Emma stared down at the book. She had no words. Regina thought she was some kind of fairytale character, which made her heart ache in her chest, but she understood this was all completely foreign to the brunette. <em>Maybe if I read this book I might understand how this woman views me</em>, the blonde thought.</p><p>"I will read it... thank you, Regina."</p><p>"You're very welcome," the brunette slapped her thighs, standing once more, "I'm going to take Lola on her nightly walk now. You are more than welcome to join us if you would like, <em>your</em> <em>majesty</em>."</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The two women walked in silence, enjoying the crinkling of leaves under their bare feet and the light panting of Lola trotting a few feet ahead of them. Crickets meshed with frogs highlighted the chaotic yet peaceful aura of midnight.</p><p>The night's crisp air was pleasantly refreshing. Moonlight lit up their path through the woods, and reflected brightly off the lake they were approaching.</p><p>"I have lived here all my life," Regina began, breaking their comfortable silence. "I never once wanted to move. There is something so peaceful about being in the middle of nowhere that I cannot quite replace."</p><p>Regina looked over at the younger woman, watching golden waves fall onto her face, effectively shielding the soft smile that graced fair skin. The princess was stunning. Lola took the opportunity to make her way to the edge of the water, sitting down and looking up at the two women to follow.</p><p>"I can only imagine how boring it must be to be trapped on castle grounds all day," Regina continued when she heard no pursuit of conversation from her guest. They sat down onto the moist grass next to Lola.</p><p>Emma shrugged. "I had to find a way to enjoy it, otherwise I would go crazy. I actually used to sneak out on the weekends and join the villagers at a tavern or two. There was no man or woman in our whole kingdom that could beat me at a game of darts," she sheepishly admitted.</p><p>Regina's gaze was still on the princess with a small smirk. "You, <em>princess</em>, would sneak away to a bar and play <em>darts</em>?" She elbowed the blonde playfully.</p><p>"And the occasional game of rummy," Emma met her gaze, her emerald eyes twinkling with mischief. "I took quite the many victories in that, as well,"</p><p>Regina let out out a roar of laughter as the brief image of a condescending blonde with a dazzling royal gown got shit faced in a bar with a bunch of hooligans, flashed into her mind.</p><p>Eventually her laughter died to a breathy chuckle, and the women were back in their comfortable silence. Emma was the first to break it this time.</p><p>"Have you ever been in love?" She quietly asked, her soft voice almost getting lost in the breeze coming from the lake in front of them. Regina had to strain her ears or she would've completely missed the question.</p><p>The brunette raised her eyebrows, for that was the last thought she would've ever expected to hear from the princess sitting beside her. It then registered in her mind that she should probably answer.</p><p>"Well yes," Regina looked back to the gentle currents of the lake that nipped at their toes, encouraging her to say something more. "I suppose."</p><p>Emma plucked at the blades of grass below her soft sweatpants. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.</p><p>The moonlight above them was the only light to illuminate the trio sitting by the lake. It was no match for the thousands of beautiful stars that seemed to twinkle in omnipotence above them.</p><p>"I'm destined to wed," Emma began again. Regina's ears perked up at the gentle frequency of the princess's tone, for it was a moment since she last spoke.</p><p>"Do you love him?" The brunette looked over to the blonde to see her staring quite intently at the lake.</p><p>"No. We have only spent one night together," a brief shiver ran down her spine as the memory of laying in bed with Prince Neal flashed into her mind.  "But he's the one my parents have chosen."</p><p>Regina nodded, but still held her gaze on Emma, expecting her to say something else. She did not, though.</p><p>"Then why will <em>you</em> marry him?" She asked.</p><p>The blonde let out a shaky breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Because I have no choice.  It's not about love- it's politics."</p><p>Regina reached over and placed her hand on top of the blonde's that was still absently twiddling with the grass. She tried her best to ignore the unfamiliar tingle upon her fingertips. Emma pulled her hands away and decided to pet Lola instead. Regina sighed, then laid back on the grass, staring up at the stars.</p><p>"I was sixteen when I met Daniel," she began. The blonde said nothing, but Regina knew she was listening. "He worked at the stables up the road from here. My father decided that I needed a hobby, so he paid for me to take lessons every weekend. I was quite shit at it, I'm not going to lie to you. But it was fun and it made me happy," she took a quivering breath, not sure if she should continue. "Daniel gave me my lessons. He was so gentle and sweet. As soon as I saw his hazel eyes I knew I was screwed. They paralyzed me the first time I ever saw them, like I'd never seen such a beautiful set of eyes in my entire life."</p><p>Emma looked down then, looking into Regina's eyes. She found it amusing because that's exactly what she thought the first time she saw the brunette's chocolate irises (before she was knocked out cold by a wooden baseball bat).</p><p>Her breath caught in her throat when she noticed the stars reflecting in Regina's eyes, but said nothing. She was listening, but the twinkling was distracting. She couldn't look away.</p><p>"He was from another town, somewhere north, but his parents owned the stables so he worked there full time. It at least gave me something to look forward to, since I never saw him anywhere else. I was just so drawn to him. A silly girl with a silly infatuation, I guess. But one night..." she trailed off, tears swimming to the surface of her eyes, effectively clouding her view of the beautiful sky above. "One night he asked me to come for an evening lesson. It was a Sunday night, so I had to sneak out. It was exhilarating. I was too busy being a goody two shoes that I never snuck out before, never even had the thought, but this boy... something about him made my heart beat out of my chest and my brain swash around in my skull.</p><p>"That night I met him at the stables, just like he asked. He took me riding to this very lake, and we sat here, just like this, staring at the stars. Talking about anything and everything. I was so giddy and flustered whenever he spoke. He was so charming and I was just so... so <em>young</em>. I was down for anything that wasn't a textbook. It was perfect, and I was sixteen,"</p><p>She choked on a sob then. Emma reached over and placed her hand over Regina's, squeezing tightly. "You don't have to continue if you don't want to," the blonde whispered.</p><p>"We kissed. Right there, right under the moonlight. I knew I was smitten. Not just because it was my first kiss, but no one ever made me feel so... happy."</p><p>Emma was curious as to why the brunette was shedding a tear if the story was so romantic. "Why are you crying? Did something happen?"</p><p>Regina bit into her bottom lip so incredibly hard that she surely was going to leave a mark.</p><p>"I never saw him again,"</p><p>Emma sat there, shocked, but also slightly confused. She let Regina continue.</p><p>"There was an accident. Once I woke up the next morning, I was told that Daniel got trampled by one of the horses in the stables the night before. It was so late at night, everyone knew he wasn't supposed to be there. I was the only person that knew why he out there so late. It completely broke my heart, I didn't leave my bed for days, I just felt so fucking <em>guilty</em>," Regina was sobbing now, clutching onto Emma's hand for dear life. Like it was going to save her from the horrific memory. Alas, she continued.</p><p>"It was all my fault. If I just said no to going on that stupid date in the first place he wouldn't have been in the stables so late. He wouldn't have died."</p><p>Emma quickly wiped the tears from those big brown eyes. "No, no, no," she softly cooed. "There is no way you can stop fate. Do not blame yourself for a second. He would have died no matter what, exactly like that, and there is nothing that you could have done to stop it."</p><p>Regina didn't believe her, though. And she knew it.</p><p>"There's just some things in life that we have no control over," Emma tried to comfort the woman still sobbing below her. "Love. Death. Life... and everything in between. You should not have to burden yourself with something you simply cannot control. It could have been that night, or the next night, or even the night after- but if someone is meant to be in your life then they will. And if they are only meant to stay for a short lesson, or a long journey, then they depart as they must, as well."</p><p>Regina finally looked away from the sky to meet the comfort of the emerald eyes shining above her, also tainted slightly with salty tears. She was captivated at how truly green they actually were when stained with emotion. Her breathing calmed down as she let Emma's comforting words wash over her.</p><p>"I suppose not all of us get to live a fairytale," her voice was rough now, after being overused from her previous actions.</p><p>Emma offered a weak smile, not nearly as bright as the ones Regina witnessed earlier, but a smile nonetheless. So she accepted it.</p><p>"Maybe not," the princess tried to lighten the mood with a small shrug of her shoulders, "but every story <em>deserves</em> a happy ending."</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Buddy the Elf's Long Lost Sister</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The town's Fourth of July fair was quickly approaching, and Regina was just about as excited as she was every year. So... not very.</p><p>Storybrooke, Maine always had a sort of tradition for this day. Besides their usual Miner's Day celebration, that dated way back to before Regina was even thought of, the next best thing was the fair that took over the entire first weekend of July. Regina's friends from college made it sort of an unspoken tradition to spend that weekend at Regina's cabin, drinking and partying their lives away. It was their family time, since none of them really had one of those anyway. Even after Regina's father passed away and her mother dropped off the face of the Earth, her friends made sure to keep their little tradition going strong.</p><p>Regina would never admit it aloud, but this was her favorite weekend of the year. Just not... the people part. The sweaty, <em>exuberant</em> amount of people from all over the state that crowded the fair, part. Not to even mention the over-priced, greasy, sickeningly unhealthy carnival food. Yeah, she very much did not enjoy those bits. But having all her friends around was delightful, and Regina was game for any serotonin she could grasp her fingers around.</p><p>It was now the third day of Emma being in her cabin, and they still made no progress on how to get her home. The little heart to heart that the ladies shared just few hours earlier did nothing to help the dull ache in Regina's chest, but instead helped her understand that Emma was a beautiful soul, full of so much empathy and kindness. Regina was slightly worried she would get attached to said princess, so as she showered that morning she made a mental note to stay as far a way as possible from getting attached to those green eyes.</p><p>Earlier that morning after they got back from walking Lola, Regina made sure Emma knew where the pajamas and fresh towels were so she did not have to babysit. She left the princess to her thoughts, and went back to her own room. She fell asleep thinking about those entrancing eyes she was trying so hard to ignore.</p><p>Her shower was short since she knew that she needed to make breakfast, so before her morning walk with Lola she made sure to lay out all that she had, just like the day before. She brewed a hot pot of coffee but made sure to leave the tea bags on the counter, because she noticed that Emma preferred Earl Grey with a dash of milk. She also left the Fruit Loops on the counter again with a bowl and some milk, because she saw the princess eyeing them with curiosity and thought maybe today she would try something new.</p><p>Emma woke up at the sound of the back storm door slamming shut as Regina and Lola left for their walk. She was exhausted after only getting a few hours of sleep. Every sound seemed to wake her up, which was surprising her because in her own bed she slept like the dead. But of course that castle was also the only place she actually <em>ever</em> slept.</p><p>She blinked a few times, then rubbed the sleep from her tired eyes. The sheets were tangled in a heap at her ankles, and the draft coming through the window left a blanket of goosebumps against her exposed legs. The thin pajama shorts that barely covered her thighs were certainly not silk, but they were comfortable nonetheless. Emma had no time to be all that picky when a random stranger was giving her shelter, food, and vague emotional stability. And she secretly loved the smell of the brunette that was attached to everything in the room. <em>Apples</em>, she thought with a grin, <em>how delicious</em>. Her heart fluttered as she rolled her face into the pillow and inhaled deeply. <em>I wonder if she tastes as good as she smells</em>.</p><p>Emma snapped up in bed quickly at such an alarming thought. How a woman would taste is certainly not a thought that has ever crossed her mind before. Maybe she really <em>did</em> have a concussion.</p><p>Her lanky ivory legs swung over the bed and onto the floor as her hands delicately combed through her wild blonde locks. Bathing was going to be her first objective, but the grumbling in her stomach from her poor dinner choices was too distracting, as a strong smell drafted into her room. It was slightly bitter, but smelled welcoming and delicious.</p><p>She smiled once she paddled her cold feet into the kitchen at the sight of fresh fruit and some pancakes. She followed her nose to the culprit of that delicious smell, and located a hot pot of a dark black liquid by the sink. <em>Coffee</em>, she remembered. She poured herself a nice cup of it and added some milk and sugar like she saw Regina do yesterday. It was different than tea, but she was open to trying something new.</p><p>That colorful box from yesterday was staring her down as she sat down at the island. The princess' curiosity got the best of her while she opened it with a raised brow. The box was about half-way full of colorful, circular pieces of grain, and smelled strongly of sugar. Emma cringed, but filled up the bowl that was next to the box and filled it with milk anyway. The second she brought the spoon to her mouth, she audibly moaned at how delicious this "Fruit Loops" actually was.</p><p>So naturally, she ate the entire box, her coffee long forgotten.</p><p>Regina returned to the cabin while Emma was just finishing her last bowl. She let a snicker escape her lips when the first thing she saw and <em>heard</em> was the princess having a food-gasm over some cereal.</p><p>"Good morning, <em>Princess</em>," Regina smirked, entering the kitchen.</p><p>Emma looked up to Regina, her mouth positively full. "Mornin'," she barely got out, all manners forgotten, and milk now dribbling down her chin.</p><p>Regina shook her head with an amused smile plastered across her face while she poured herself a second cup of coffee. "I see you're enjoying my friend's box of cereal."</p><p>"I have never experienced something so wonderful," Emma breathed, now done with the entire box. She took a paper towel and politely wiped her mouth. "I would like some of those pancakes now, please."</p><p>Regina just quietly watched, slipping onto the chair next to the eager princess. She sipped her coffee while she watched the blonde dig into the plate of bare pancakes.</p><p>"Here," she offered, sliding Emma a bottle of syrup. "If you liked Fruit Loops you'll probably like this."</p><p>Emma read the label on the weird container. "Is she your aunt?"</p><p>Regina let out a roar of laughter, "No, Emma, that's the brand of syrup. Butter and maple syrup are common things that people put on their pancakes and waffles in this world."</p><p>Emma blushed deeply, feeling quite flustered while trying to wrap her mind around all these things. Everything was so new to her, but so normal to Regina. Who knew plumbing and electricity were such wonderful things...</p><p>She hesitantly put a small dollop of the thick, sticky brown liquid on a piece of her pancake to test. Once she took the bite, she paused a moment, then squeezed about a <em>quarter</em> of the bottle on to the rest of her pancakes. "Where has this food been my entire life," she moaned again around her fork.</p><p>Regina shook her head with a chuckle. "You would probably get along wonderfully with Buddy the Elf."</p><p>The comment went completely over Emma's head, like Regina assumed it would.</p><p>"Anyway," Regina tried to distract Emma from diabetes via plate, "I know we have to figure out how to get you home, but I have some friends coming over this weekend and I need to do some grocery shopping."</p><p>"We don't even know where to start looking," Emma sighed. "And what is grocery shopping?"</p><p>Regina smiled, "That's where I go every week or two to buy food. You're more than welcome to join me or you can stay here with Lola."</p><p>Emma's ears perked up at the thought of exploring something new about this world, and her heart sped up in her chest. "I would love to go with you!" She said way too eagerly for Regina's liking.</p><p>"Mhm, I see," Regina finished the rest of her coffee and stood up. "Well you can go clean that icky mess off your face, and we'll leave once you're ready. I'm not going to be seen in public with you looking like a child."</p><p>Emma grinned, a big eager grin, that almost reached her ears. She quickly jumped out of her seat, placed her empty plate and forgotten mug of coffee into the sink, and ran out of the room to go clean up. Regina placed a hand on the bridge of her nose, pinching slightly as she huffed out in mild annoyance at the sight of the puddle of syrup that somehow made it to the floor in the blonde's hasty retreat. But she did not utter a single complaint, for the princess' smile was more than enough to wash away any kind of sour mood.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Emma's discovery of the modern vehicle was most definitely not her favorite thing.</p><p>Her taut grip on the seatbelt was making her knuckles turn white and her fingers cramp slightly. It took several minutes for Regina to try and explain that her Mercedes was one of the safest cars possible, but even then Emma still was petrified of the contraption. She had never seen such a bizarrely shaped hunk of metal in her life, let alone one that could move at very high rates of speed. It was certainly no carriage ride.</p><p>"Emma, relax," Regina tried to comfort the visibly shaken princess. She was surprising even herself by going slower than the speed limit, and it still seemed too much for her guest.</p><p>Emma's eyes were squeezed so tightly shut that she was surely going to have wrinkles before the age of thirty. Regina tried to calm her down by placing a hand on her thigh. The princess was way too busy being petrified to notice the tingle that radiated from the small gesture, but Regina surely felt it.</p><p>"You're safe with me, I promise."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Regina was truly getting tested by the gods in the grocery store. Emma was touching anything, <em>everything</em>, that she saw, and the woman was slowly started to lose her patience. The paper grocery list in her right hand was tightly crumpled in a ball, her knuckles turning white on the handle of her shopping cart. She was trying her best to focus on the vast cereal aisle in front of her.</p><p>Emma flew down the aisle with two family sized boxes of Fruit Loops toward Regina with a big smile on her face. No matter how frustrated Regina was, she could not help but crack a small smile at the absolute joy adorning the blonde's features.</p><p>"Regina, I found them!" the boxes were immediately dumped into the cart.</p><p>"I can see that, dear," Regina clicked her tongue, crossing her arms as she leaned over the cart's handle. "Seems like enough to last you at least two days. You are aware there will be other people in my house this weekend besides just us, yes?"</p><p>Emma pouted, yes <em>pouted</em> at Regina, but fell into step beside the brunette as they made their way into the pet aisle.</p><p>Regina was too distracted with picking up a bag of food for Lola that she did not notice her blonde companion wander off... again. It was not until she heard a shrill scream from the aisle over that she was broken out of her reverie, glancing up to realize Emma was no longer standing next to her. She threw the twenty pound bag of Iams into the cart and rushed to where she heard the alarming sound.</p><p>Not to much surprise, Emma was literally running away from the store's cleaning bot, Marty. The fear on Emma's face was almost palpable, yet all Regina could do was double over in laughter.</p><p>"Regina, <em>Regina</em>! What is that thing?" Emma basically crashed into the older woman who was quite literally crying with laughter.</p><p>"T-That's," she was panting. "Marty," actual tears streaming down her face. "It c-cleans the aisles."</p><p>Marty's large googly eyes were absolutely terrifying to the young princess, but she found a comfortable refuge behind Regina, clinging to the woman's navy blue sweater. Her senses were invaded by the delicious scent of Regina's apple and oats shampoo, her curly chestnut hair tickling Emma's face while the poor blonde gaped at Marty. It was slowly creeping in their direction, beeping along its merry way.</p><p>"I don't like it," Emma mumbled into her ear. Regina shivered at Emma's breath against her ear. A feeling she most certainly had not gotten since... well, Daniel.</p><p>Regina shook away the feeling, knowing better than to get attached to someone that was going to leave her life soon, and took led Emma toward the liquor aisle. "He won't bother you, Emma. I just need to get some drinks for the hooligans that are about to drink me out of house and home."</p><p>Emma found comfort in Regina's words, trusting her wholeheartedly.</p><p>Their cart was full of everything from fresh meats to Regina's favorite flour for lasagna noodles. And of course, two boxes of Fruit Loops and a fresh bottle of Aunt Jemima. Regina plopped a few boxes of beer into the under storage of the cart, and picked out a bottle of her sister's favorite Rombauer Chardonnay.</p><p>"Wow," Emma only wandered a few steps away from Regina this time to observe the large diversity around her. "Even my father's cellar lacks this much variety."</p><p>"I'm sure your private collection is much better quality, and a little more... <em>refined</em>," Regina was reading the label off a bottle of Captain Morgan.</p><p>"This place is so convenient. I wish we had one of these in my kingdom, it would make life so much easier," Emma spoke as they neared the cash registers, oblivious to the few questioning looks from other shoppers her comment received.</p><p>Regina gave her a small, sympathetic smile, and started placing their groceries on the register's conveyer belt.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Fried Oreos With A Side Of Imp</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There's something about Lana Parrilla in a drape-vest coat that really tickles my pickle... so obviously said coat had to a regal appearance in this story! ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>An hour later, Regina was happily showing Emma how to make her <em>famous</em> lasagna.</p><p>"If anyone asks, you're my family friend that is visiting from out of town," the two were standing in the kitchen making small talk while Emma stirred the sauce and Regina finished the last of the noodles.</p><p>"Noodles, sauce, mini meatballs, cheese, sauce and then more noodles," Regina demonstrated as she started to layer the lasagna in the baking dish.</p><p>Regina was very pleased to see Emma listening so intently and following her directions perfectly. They had a few accidents: like when Regina was trying to teach the princess how to use a can opener when they were starting the sauce; or when Emma got a little too excited about fresh garlic bread, and dropped an entire glass vase of apple cider onto the kitchen floor. To which Regina then had to mop the entire floor so that Lola did not accidentally get glass in her paws. However, Lola was a smart pup, and whenever Emma was in the kitchen she stayed far, <em>far</em> away.</p><p>An eager rapping at the cabin's front door was enough to draw Regina hurriedly away from the kitchen, trusting Emma not to burn the place down as she continued to layer their dinner.</p><p>"Sista, sista!" Regina was greeted by her overly cheery sister as soon as she swung the mahogany door open, immediately getting pulled into a hug.</p><p>"I missed you, Zee," Regina tightly wrapped her arms around the older woman, nudging her neck into the emerald green cashmere sweater and inhaling the gloriously familiar scent that was Zelena Mills. Zelena's red curly hair contrasted beautifully against her pale skin, and her stunning blue eyes could most certainly stop traffic.</p><p>"That ride is always absolutely dreadful," Zelena huffed once Regina pulled away. "Anyway, where is this mysterious stranger that has stolen my little sister's heart?"</p><p>Regina quickly fell in step behind Zelena as the redhead made her way into the kitchen. Regina was basically crossing her fingers behind her back, hoping her sister would not say something stupidly embarrassing.</p><p>Emma had her back to the women, the open layout of the cozy home gave Zelena a nice view of beautiful blonde hair, gently coiled down Emma's back over a baggy CBGB tee shirt. Her grey sweatpants had a bit of tomato sauce down the leg that was definitely was not there when Regina left her alone a minute prior.</p><p>"Hello!" Zelena's enthusiastic English accent made Emma jump in her skin. "You must be Emma, I have heard so much about you! Good to see you're no longer unconscious."</p><p>And there it was. Regina rolled her eyes as she stepped up to the sink to dampen a paper towel.</p><p>"Yes," Emma sheepishly met Zelena's gaze, tucking a stray blonde lock behind her ear. "Regina is quite lovely, you're lucky to have a sister like her. She's even teaching me how to make lasagna and tomato sauce, and there's garlic bread in the-"</p><p>Her sentence was cut off when Regina's hand touched her thigh where the sauce stain was, staring to blot it with the dampened paper towel. Emma's cheeks violently flushed a deep scarlet while Regina was very concentrated on the stain located on the blonde's inner thigh.</p><p>"Well..." Zelena had a knowing glint in her eyes, earning a glare from her sister. "Seems someone is already quite comfortable with the newest addition to this household."</p><p>"<em>Zelena</em>-" Regina growled, but was interrupted by loud voices from her front porch. As she huffed past her sister, she mumbled something under her breath, causing Zelena smirk at the flustered princess still standing at the stove.</p><p>Zelena happily moved from her perch against the doorway to take a seat at the kitchen's island. She was observing Emma's layering as the lasagna finally reached the top of the baking dish, her chin resting upon her hand in awe of Emma's tender sprinkling of red pepper flakes on top. Emma then turned toward Zelena, feeling quite small under the older woman's intimidating aura, but knew there was nothing left for her to do without Regina's help. Zelena opened her mouth to start some conversation, but was interrupted by her sister's friends storming their way into the kitchen.</p><p>"I'm sorry in advance, dear," Regina resumed her position next to Emma, reaching for the lasagna to slip it into the oven. "Great job, this looks amazing."</p><p>Emma bit her lip, her stomach fluttering at Regina's approval. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched the flexing of the woman's arms as she retracted her hands from the dish, her hands then were wiped on the front of her apron. Zelena watched every movement between them with a smirk.</p><p>"Well," Regina turned back around to the small crowd of people in her kitchen that were eyeing Emma curiously. "Guys, this is Emma. Emma this is Ruby and her girlfriend, Belle," Regina's perfectly manicured hand motioned toward the slender brunette now sitting at the island next to Zelena, and the shorter woman seated next to her with honey auburn hair. "Oh, and Killian," Regina basically waved off the guy that was standing in the doorway.</p><p>The ruggedly handsome man wearing tight black leather pants, a white tee shirt, and a black leather jacket stuck his hand out for Emma to shake with a cocky grin. "Killian Jones," he introduced himself with his chin held high, "but you can call me the man of your dreams."</p><p>"Keep it in your pants, Guyliner," Ruby stepped up to Emma and put her slender hand on the princess's shoulder. "I'd put money on Regina already calling dibs."</p><p>"Dibs?" Emma was confused.</p><p>"C'mon blondie, I could give you the ride of your life," his eyebrows wiggled, not paying Ruby any mind.</p><p>"Ride of my-"</p><p>"If anyone is getting a <em>ride</em> here, obviously it's with me and away from <em>you</em>," Ruby crossed her arms, glaring daggers into the side of Killian's skull.</p><p>"Rubes, you can't possibly assume every cute blonde in Storybrooke is willing to hop of the S.S. Ruby Lucas, you have to <em>share</em>-"</p><p>"<em>Enough</em>," Regina slammed her hand on the counter. "Emma is not a piece of meat, she is my guest. And obviously she has <em>taste</em>."</p><p>"Who knows," Zelena piped in. "Maybe she's into athletic brunettes that own a cute dog and have pretty brown eyes."</p><p>Belle and Ruby both snickered, causing Regina's jaw to harden and her hand on the counter to form into a fist. Zelena linked her fingers together, her chin still rested upon them as she looked at her sister with innocent eyes. Emma was completely lost, and Killian all but <em>sulked</em> over to the island in his loud leather boots, understanding the was no competition to the goddess named Regina Mills.</p><p>It was kind of amusing to Emma, really, to see the group interact. Regina getting annoyed with every word that left Killian's mouth, Belle's patience with Ruby's flirtatious personality, and Zelena's constant teasing of both her sister and the leather-clad man at the table. They were all so different, but Emma noticed how they complimented each other quite nicely. It made her heart warm and caused a smile to grace her ivory skin, loving every single moment she spent in their presence.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Over dinner Emma learned quite a bit about Regina's friends.</p><p>Belle was soft and gentle, ever the wise soul, and owned the only book store in town. It was purchased for her by her late husband, which surprised Emma because she seemed quite young to already be widowed. Ruby, her girlfriend, owned a small diner called Granny's that her grandmother was too old to take care of. She worked there her entire life, "my first job and my last", and also proudly told the story of when she met Belle, because it was also her first job.</p><p>Emma thought it was absolutely heartwarming to witness the two women's obvious love for one another, and she wondered for a brief moment if someone would ever love her like that. Those thoughts made her glance over at Regina, but only long enough to see the brunette's soft smile in her direction.</p><p>Killan, the man with way too much leather, was a handyman for the boats at their town's docks. He was very passionate about boats, saying it sprouted from his childhood dreams of being a pirate, but really it was just because he never went to college. So he took up a trade. He, like Ruby, was quite the flirt, using his blue eyes and rugged smirk to his advantage. Emma would've been swooning if she met a man like this at one of her parent's stupid balls, but for some reason, she wasn't at all.</p><p>She also learned about Regina. She knew Regina's father had passed away not too long ago, but didn't know that Regina dropped out of law school. "I just couldn't stay in school and keep up with the land," she defended. It was a poor excuse, and Emma knew that, but she was in no place to pry into this stranger's personal life, no matter what unfamiliar feelings the brunette made her feel. Zelena, on the other hand, knew exactly why her sister never left their childhood home. She knew Regina couldn't bare part from the feelings of their father, especially since their mother disappeared.</p><p>Dinner was now over, and the lot was squishing into Ruby's obnoxiously red pickup truck, that happened to match perfectly with her red leather jacket and the streak of red in her hair. Emma appreciated that the woman wore a more appropriate amount of leather, as opposed to their male friend that basically bathed in it. Emma wondered, for a brief moment, if the man actually <em>did</em> bathe in leather. The thought caused a small smile to escape her lips.</p><p>"What's going on in that skull of yours?" Regina nudged the blonde's shoulder with her elbow. The two women were cramped into the backseat, between Killian and Belle, since Zelena refused to have her cashmere sweater get wrinkled by such 'inconveniently arranged transportation', as she so eloquently protested.</p><p>Emma turned to Regina, their faces inches apart, and leaned over to whisper into the woman's ear, away from prying ears. "Maybe he actually bathes in leather."</p><p>Regina let out a snicker, scrunching up her nose at the blonde's comment. She tried her best to ignore the feeling of Emma's breath tickling her ear, but to was no avail as the feeling rippled through her body and landed right between her legs. Emma was, after all, basically sitting on her lap in the packed vehicle.</p><p>"What's so funny?" He grunted, uncomfortably shifting against the window he was pressed into.</p><p>"Nothing, Captain Guyliner," Regina shrugged. This caused a giggle to escape Emma's lips, making Regina's chest all warm and fuzzy.</p><p>Killian huffed, but rolled his eyes at the five women who all laughed at the teasing. Emma and Regina's school girl giggling and adolescent whispering certainly did <em>not</em> go unnoticed by Zelena, and she made a mental note to tease the younger women about it later.</p><p>They arrived at the famous Fourth of July festival right as the sun was setting in the sky, eliciting a warm orange and pink glow to envelope the horizon. Emma stepped out of the car behind Killian, and her breath caught in her throat when she looked at the sight before her.</p><p>Resting against the sky was a huge, rotating wheel with odd seats, which she later learned was properly called a Ferris Wheel. Her senses were invaded by the delicious smell of sweet food, and the sound of laughter and children. The aura of happiness and joy that surrounded her was contagious, it made her heart skip a beat in her chest. The princess found herself smiling like she was a little kid, absorbing as much of this wonderful place as she could into her mind to remember forever.</p><p>Regina was captivated by the twinkling in the blonde's eyes as she gazed upon the fair. Her throat ran dry, unable to form a single coherent word as she witnessed the most beautiful sight she's ever seen- <em>Emma</em>. Sure, she knew the woman was beautiful before, but something about seeing this woman's innocence swimming in her eyes, especially against the sunset, threw her for quite the loop.</p><p>Zelena snapped her fingers in front of her sister's face to get her attention. "You might want to wipe that drool off your chin before she notices, darling."</p><p>Regina quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts, shooting her sister an annoyed look, but walked to the blonde and grabbed her arm, urging her to follow the group of friends that were already headed up to purchase tickets.</p><p>The festival was alive and booming, every year there seemed to be even more people and even more booths. Emma was overwhelmed, to say the least, at the culture shock. There were games, large stuffed animals of different bright colors, and loud music that rattled through her bones. The smells of food was making her stomach grumble, so upon sight of a large food stand, Emma grabbed onto Regina's hand and tugged her through the crowd. Her grip loosened slightly once they were in line, but she didn't let go. She tried to convince herself it was just because she didn't want to get lost. Yeah, that was it.</p><p>"Oh, so now I'm buying you food?" Regina teased, ignoring the fact that both of them were blushing like teenagers.</p><p>Emma's eyes were too busy reading the menu to notice Regina staring at her again. She literally could not decide what to order, because she surely had never heard of any of the options before. <em>Fried pickles, funnel cake, caramel apples, cotton candy, soft pretzels, kettle corn, fried Oreos- and why the hell would someone buy corn on a stick?</em></p><p>Eventually it was their turn in line. Emma was biting her lip, having no idea what to get, but she knew her stomach was craving something sweet. Thankfully, Regina was there to save the day.</p><p>"Fried oreos, please," she squeezed the blonde's hand before she took her own away, digging into the pocket of her black drape-vest coat to retrieve her wallet. "Four is plenty."</p><p>Emma observed the man as he nodded, then quickly disappeared into the tent behind him, coming back a minute later with a small paper tray with a distinct red and white plaid pattern on it. Inside the tray were four disks of dough, steam evaporating off them into the cool air, decorated with a sprinkling of white powder. The smell of them immediately met Emma's nose, causing her to drool. Regina slid the man a green paper with the number five on it, and Emma quickly registered that it was another form of payment, like the plastic card the brunette used a few minutes earlier to buy some tickets. The man smiled, and handed the women each a plastic fork.</p><p>The two ladies walked over to a nearby booth to greet their friends that were happily playing a game that involved tossing rings onto bottles. Emma stood close to Regina, digging her fork into the fried goodness in the tray, eager to try something new. Regina paused, waiting to see the blonde's reaction as she took her first bite. The sound that fell from Emma's lips sent a strong shiver down the brunette's spine, almost making her knees buckle, but she did nothing to stop the way her eyes fluttered closed while Emma moaned around her fork.</p><p>"I think I need to propose to my chef that this becomes a regular on our menu," Emma momentarily forgot that there might not even <em>be</em> a chef anymore, of course not noticing the way Regina's friends all raised their eyebrows at such a comment, either. Regina let out an awkward laugh while they all turned around and resumed their game that was obviously rigged.</p><p>Emma enjoyed more of her treat, smiling at the way Belle was getting frustrated with Ruby for not being able to win her one of the large stuffed monkeys that hung from the booth above them. Killian's arm was being berated with swats from a certain redhead who was also irritated that she wasn't gifted with a giant monkey. Emma thought it was odd that they played such an obviously difficult game, but she concluded that's probably why the prizes were so large.</p><p>Regina was happily watching her friends waste their money, simply enjoying their company.</p><p>"Why don't we all go play something we might actually win?" Regina suggested after a good ten minutes of watching their miserable attempts at landing a ring onto the necks of any of the bottles.</p><p>"Oh, yes! We can totally win at the Water Gun Fun!" Belle excitedly dragged her girlfriend's hand in the direction of a booth that had a row of stools, accompanied by a row of water guns. The others followed, each grabbing a seat.</p><p>Regina handed the man running the booth some more money, and Emma wondered how she would ever make it up to the brunette for all that she was doing for her. It amazed the princess how someone could be so welcoming and humble for a random stranger that fell out of the sky.</p><p>The man explained the rules, but everyone already had a general idea of how to play- except Emma, of course, so she latched onto every word the man said.</p><p>"When the buzzer sounds, you push down on the red buttons and aim the water toward this here hole," he pointed to the identical holes that were parallel to each of the guns. "First person to raise their red line to the bell wins!"</p><p>Before Emma could even process this information, the bell rang, immediately followed by five water guns shooting at little targets. Emma blinked, quickly looking over to see Regina's thumbs firmly pressed on the red buttons, her beautiful face fully concentrated on the target ahead. Emma turned her gaze back to her own gun, and quickly pressed down on the red buttons, not really noticing where her water gun was aimed. She jumped in her seat when the water shot out everywhere <em>except</em> the target. Ruby was the rather unfortunate victim of Emma's bewildered aim, as the water sprayed over some metal barrier between the two lady's targets, and splashed back at Ruby's unsuspecting face.</p><p>"<em>Hey</em>!" She shot up in her stool, her water gun no longer shooting at her target, and her lead being taken.</p><p>Killian let out a cry of victory as his bell went off, signaling that he won by mere dumb luck.</p><p>Water dripped off of Ruby's face as she crossed her arms, huffing like a child. Belle thought her pout was adorable, and kissed her girlfriend's cheek adoringly.</p><p>Regina's cackle of laughter rang through Emma's ears, effectively pulling her gaze away from the affectionate couple behind her. Her breath was ripped from her lungs when she witnessed the beautiful sight before her. Regina was doubled over in laughter, pointing at Ruby's soaked face, with tears streaming down her own cheeks from laughing so hard. She was trying hard, and failing, to get some air into her lungs.</p><p>Emma smiled, her heart hammering against her sternum like it was about to break free.</p><p>The group decided that games could take a break, because now the sky was pitch black and the festival lights were illuminating every inch around them.</p><p>"Now is the perfect time for the ferris wheel," Regina nudged the group toward the growing line in front of the giant wheel she has been staring at all night. "This is probably the only thing I enjoy about this place, besides the fried Oreos, of course."</p><p>Emma stayed close to Regina, because the hoodie and light jacket the brunette loaned her were doing nothing to prevent the whipping chill of the night around them. Sure, she absolutely <em>adored</em> her new discovery of sweatpants, but her bones were slowly becoming solid ice. Regina noticed that the princess was shivering quite violently, so she asked Ruby for her truck's keys to retrieve a heavier coat.</p><p>Regina was going to leave Emma to wait in line with her friends, but Emma insisted to follow along with the brunette. She wasn't quite sure what the feeling was that kept her so drawn to the woman, but she was in no place to question it. She convinced herself she was just attracted to the brunette's unending hospitality, and not possibly something else... <em>right</em>?</p><p>The two walked back to Ruby's truck in a comfortable silence. The grass that the truck was parked on was located at the far end of the packed lot on the grass.</p><p>"Thank you for taking me," Emma's breath was crisp in the cold air.</p><p>Regina smiled. "My pleasure."</p><p>Once they reached the pick-up, Regina rummaged around on the floor of the back seat for something warmer the princess could wear, giving Emma a very nice view of her ass in the process. Emma instinctively licked her lips, unable to take her eyes away from the tight, jean-clad bottom.</p><p>Regina turned back around with a red leather jacket, similar to the one Ruby was already wearing, and a red wool scarf. She didn't notice the blonde's eyes quickly snap up from their previous position, because she was too deep in thought as to why the hell her best friend owned so much <em>red</em>.</p><p>"Here," she offered, opening the coat so Emma could simply slip her arms through. Emma smiled, then wrapped the fluffy scarf around her neck.</p><p>"Much better," Emma offered a thankful smile as Regina even zipped the coat closed for her.</p><p>Regina locked the truck, and the two walked back towards the festival. Upon entering the gates, Emma's eyes caught something in her peripheral vision. She felt a tug in her gut, turning her face to see a small tent with a small sign that read: <em>The Seer</em>.</p><p>Regina noticed the lack of body heat next to her, and it registered in her mind that Emma had stopped walking. She saw the blonde staring quite intently at a fortune teller's tent.</p><p>"How odd," Regina was now standing next to her. "I've never seen that tent here before..."</p><p>Emma's stomach was churning. She learned at a very young age that gypsies were something to stay far away from. Magic of any kind was banned from her kingdom when she was a few months old, so she wasn't quite familiar with it since it was even forbidden from being spoken of. She always wondered <em>why</em>, but knew better than to question her parent's law.</p><p>She wondered if magic even existed in this land, but steered clear of that thought being verbalized to the brunette standing next to her. Instead, she let her gut tug her in the direction of the tent, not thinking twice of the possible consequences.</p><p>Regina was skeptical of the princess's actions, since she has never once seen that specific tent in all her years of attending the Miner's Day festivities, but she refused to let her guest out of her sight.</p><p>Emma's nimble fingers gently pulled back the curtain of the small tent, taking a deep breath. She walked inside, timidly being followed by the brunette.</p><p>The inside was visibly cozy, but still left a weird feeling in the stomach of both the women. Regina let her eyes wander over the dimly lit space that was lined with twinkling fairy lights that gave off a soft orange hue. The table in the center of the room was round, adorned with a rich burgundy cloth that was tattered along the edges. A few candles lay a top, flickering in the air, with a crystal ball sat perfectly in between.</p><p>Emma did not observe the room at all, because her gaze was frozen at the sight of a small man that sat in a chair behind the table. His big, beady, hazel eyes were staring into Emma. His grey, crocodile skin was shining in the light, and a grin was sunken into his face, forming deep wrinkles in his cheeks. His crooked teeth were almost brown in color, but his stringy, short brown hair was enough of a distraction.</p><p>He looked like a nymph. The kind that Emma read about in textbooks back at the library in her castle. She was too paralyzed in fear to even speak to the man that was staring her down. The aura she felt from this creature was suffocating, and left a dark feeling at the bottom of her stomach. The complete opposite of the comforting feeling she felt around Regina Mills.</p><p>"I've been expecting you," his voice rang through the tent. "<em>Princess Emma</em>."</p>
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